The single cylinder engine
The engine of a single-cylinder motorcycle simply contains a single cylinder and a single piston which slides inside by going back and forth which are very strongly felt by the motorcyclist. You can clearly feel the strokes of the piston with each acceleration. In general, we find motorcycles equipped with a single cylinder on supermotos or cross bikes. In the models that are commonly found, we can mention the KTM DUKE, the XT 600, the Honda Dominator or the BMW G 650 GS or the BMW Scarver 650. In general, motorcycles equipped with a single cylinder do not exceed never the 200kgs.
What can we say about the single cylinder?
The single-cylinder is completely suitable for urban use or for "fun" on rough roads.
It is an engine that hates being under-rev at the risk of stalling and damaging the engine. Also avoid diets that are too high because this time it is you who will not appreciate. In short, you have to find the right compromise and once you know how to beat time, it's a real pleasure to ride a single-cylinder in urban mode. For the highway, forget about it, your single-cylinder will be damaged and risk overheating quickly. It may also disappoint you in top speed compared to twin-cylinder or four-cylinder models.
The twin-cylinder or two-cylinder engine
The twin-cylinder is the most widespread architecture among motorcycle manufacturers. For a time, BMW got lost on a democratization of the four-cylinder but very quickly returned to flat or V-twins.
To better understand its terms, it is important to remember that there are three sub-families in the twin-cylinder category.
– Flat cylinders (usually BMW). Take a good look when you come across BMW motorcycles, for a good part of them you will be able to see the two cylinders that come out on each side.
– L-shaped cylinders (usually Ducati and Guzzi). The cylinders are arranged perpendicularly which makes them special in terms of driving.
– V cylinders or vertical cylinders. They are stored vertically at 180 degrees and are widespread on just about all types of motorcycles (The BMW f800GS is an example).
What can we say about the twin?
The twin-cylinder is versatile and can be used for all types of use, whether in town, on the highway or in the countryside. Compared to a single cylinder, it supports low revs better and is generally smoother than a single cylinder. The twin-cylinder is actually closer to the four-cylinder than the single-cylinder in terms of driving even if there is a clear difference which we will see below. The main difference with a single cylinder is felt directly in terms of comfort, harmony is easily found with a twin compared to single. You can immediately imagine yourself traveling much longer and more versatile routes.
This is an engine with real character and responsiveness. Its acceleration capabilities are generally very punchy and allow you to reach 0 to 100 in a few seconds. In my case, the 0 to 100 is reached in less than 5 seconds with the BMW F650 GS Twin. In comparison with the 4-cylinder that I had before (BMW K1200 RS), I was able to notice a clear difference in the first gears… Clearly the twin hits a lot more and sends the load directly while the four-cylinder will mainly pronounce from the fourth gear. Also note that the four-cylinder can be driven in sixth gear at 40/50km/h, something impossible to do with a bi.
The three-cylinder engine
The three cylinders appear as the compromise between the two and the four cylinders: it encompasses the advantages of one and the other. These motors combine torque, speed and power. Note also that it is easily possible to drive at slow or normal speed without difficulty. The sound of the three cylinders is characterized by a kind of hiss on the Triumph. Below are the two main models in the Triumph range:
Speed Triple
Daytona
What to remember about the three cylinders?
For the undecided who cannot decide between two or four cylinders, the three cylinder erases doubts and provides the advantages of one and the other.
The four-cylinder engine
The four-cylinder engine is a bit like a car engine, in fact also of course! The four-cylinder has the distinction of being much more linear and is pronounced especially at high revs.
Like the twin, it also equips a good part of the motorcycle fleet. Often it equips motorcycles intended for road or sport type such as the Pan European from Honda or the Honda CBF 1000 or to quote another brand: the Suzuki Bandit. Finally, for sports we typically find the CBR 600 and 1000. It is the ideal engine to combine weight and power. For the smaller displacements, the power must be sought much higher in the towers if you want to start having fun, however the fuel consumption will be felt. On the noise side, the four-cylinder will rather go for the treble when the twin will look for it in the bass. In terms of sensation, you have to go higher in the revs versus a twin-cylinder, but the four-cylinder will seek a lot more reach than the twin-cylinder... So it all depends on your desires and ambitions...
The four-cylinder is a quieter engine that easily accepts low revs but is very torquey at high revs. Below 750cm3 do not expect miracles, you will surely find the reaction a little soft. For four-cylinders you have to "type" beyond 750cm3 to take full advantage of it.
What can we say about the four-cylinder?
Motor which is able to take a lot of terminals on the meter and which will save time. It is flexible and perfectly suited to all types of journeys, especially long motorway journeys. Its power can take your counter very far to reach 300km/h for certain models. It will provide you with optimal comfort and without violence. The motorcycle equipped with 4 cylinders will simply drive like a car, which can make it an advantage for some and a disadvantage for others.
And finally a 12-cylinder motorcycle!
Just to show you how far we can go! The article does not mention it, but five and six cylinders also exist for certain motorcycle models but are less common, even if five and six cylinders are still considered standard. We can for example cite the Goldwing in 6 cylinders flat allowing to get the expected weight / power ratio…
The single cylinder engine
The engine of a single-cylinder motorcycle simply contains a single cylinder and a single piston which slides inside by going back and forth which are very strongly felt by the motorcyclist. You can clearly feel the strokes of the piston with each acceleration. In general, we find motorcycles equipped with a single cylinder on supermotos or cross bikes. In the models that are commonly found, we can mention the KTM DUKE, the XT 600, the Honda Dominator or the BMW G 650 GS or the BMW Scarver 650. In general, motorcycles equipped with a single cylinder do not exceed never the 200kgs.
What can we say about the single cylinder?
The single-cylinder is completely suitable for urban use or for "fun" on rough roads.
It is an engine that hates being under-rev at the risk of stalling and damaging the engine. Also avoid diets that are too high because this time it is you who will not appreciate. In short, you have to find the right compromise and once you know how to beat time, it's a real pleasure to ride a single-cylinder in urban mode. For the highway, forget about it, your single-cylinder will be damaged and risk overheating quickly. It may also disappoint you in top speed compared to twin-cylinder or four-cylinder models.
The twin-cylinder or two-cylinder engine
The twin-cylinder is the most widespread architecture among motorcycle manufacturers. For a time, BMW got lost on a democratization of the four-cylinder but very quickly returned to flat or V-twins.
To better understand its terms, it is important to remember that there are three sub-families in the twin-cylinder category.
– Flat cylinders (usually BMW). Take a good look when you come across BMW motorcycles, for a good part of them you will be able to see the two cylinders that come out on each side.
– L-shaped cylinders (usually Ducati and Guzzi). The cylinders are arranged perpendicularly which makes them special in terms of driving.
– V cylinders or vertical cylinders. They are stored vertically at 180 degrees and are widespread on just about all types of motorcycles (The BMW f800GS is an example).
What can we say about the twin?
The twin-cylinder is versatile and can be used for all types of use, whether in town, on the highway or in the countryside. Compared to a single cylinder, it supports low revs better and is generally smoother than a single cylinder. The twin-cylinder is actually closer to the four-cylinder than the single-cylinder in terms of driving even if there is a clear difference which we will see below. The main difference with a single cylinder is felt directly in terms of comfort, harmony is easily found with a twin compared to single. You can immediately imagine yourself traveling much longer and more versatile routes.
This is an engine with real character and responsiveness. Its acceleration capabilities are generally very punchy and allow you to reach 0 to 100 in a few seconds. In my case, the 0 to 100 is reached in less than 5 seconds with the BMW F650 GS Twin. In comparison with the 4-cylinder that I had before (BMW K1200 RS), I was able to notice a clear difference in the first gears… Clearly the twin hits a lot more and sends the load directly while the four-cylinder will mainly pronounce from the fourth gear. Also note that the four-cylinder can be driven in sixth gear at 40/50km/h, something impossible to do with a bi.
The three-cylinder engine
The three cylinders appear as the compromise between the two and the four cylinders: it encompasses the advantages of one and the other. These motors combine torque, speed and power. Note also that it is easily possible to drive at slow or normal speed without difficulty. The sound of the three cylinders is characterized by a kind of hiss on the Triumph. Below are the two main models in the Triumph range:
Speed Triple
Daytona
What to remember about the three cylinders?
For the undecided who cannot decide between two or four cylinders, the three cylinder erases doubts and provides the advantages of one and the other.
The four-cylinder engine
The four-cylinder engine is a bit like a car engine, in fact also of course! The four-cylinder has the distinction of being much more linear and is pronounced especially at high revs.
Like the twin, it also equips a good part of the motorcycle fleet. Often it equips motorcycles intended for road or sport type such as the Pan European from Honda or the Honda CBF 1000 or to quote another brand: the Suzuki Bandit. Finally, for sports we typically find the CBR 600 and 1000. It is the ideal engine to combine weight and power. For the smaller displacements, the power must be sought much higher in the towers if you want to start having fun, however the fuel consumption will be felt. On the noise side, the four-cylinder will rather go for the treble when the twin will look for it in the bass. In terms of sensation, you have to go higher in the revs versus a twin-cylinder, but the four-cylinder will seek a lot more reach than the twin-cylinder... So it all depends on your desires and ambitions...
The four-cylinder is a quieter engine that easily accepts low revs but is very torquey at high revs. Below 750cm3 do not expect miracles, you will surely find the reaction a little soft. For four-cylinders you have to "type" beyond 750cm3 to take full advantage of it.
What can we say about the four-cylinder?
Motor which is able to take a lot of terminals on the meter and which will save time. It is flexible and perfectly suited to all types of journeys, especially long motorway journeys. Its power can take your counter very far to reach 300km/h for certain models. It will provide you with optimal comfort and without violence. The motorcycle equipped with 4 cylinders will simply drive like a car, which can make it an advantage for some and a disadvantage for others.
And finally a 12-cylinder motorcycle!
Just to show you how far we can go! The article does not mention it, but five and six cylinders also exist for certain motorcycle models but are less common, even if five and six cylinders are still considered standard. We can for example cite the Goldwing in 6 cylinders flat allowing to get the expected weight / power ratio…
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